Iron Fic: The Hospital Wing
by The Chairman
Summary: Contestants were given 24 hours to write 1500 words using The Hospital Wing as the secret ingredient
1. Chapter 1

"James, this is a bad idea."

Remus Lupin, if he was honest, loved James like a brother. He loved them all like his brothers. But _my goodness_ they could be maddening, a trait Remus had often linked to their prosperous upbringing.

"It is not a bad idea," James replied, even more animated than usual. "When is it ever a bad idea to make someone happy? To lift someone's spirits? To bring a smile to the ill and infirm? How can that possibly be wrong?"

"When she hates you, for one. Sirius, please, help me out here."

"Not a chance, mate," said Sirius. "And miss this? Not for all the tea in China."

"Peter?" Remus pleaded, looking over at their roundish friend. "You don't think this is terribly wise, either? Do you?"

Peter, for his part, simply gestured at James and Sirius, making rather a moaning sound as if to say "not particularly, but who am I to disagree with them?"

Remus rubbed the bridge of his nose. "James. Please. Listen to reason! She – "

"Ha! Never!" James replied triumphantly. Remus didn't miss a beat.

"She's had a shite last few weeks: What with Snape calling her, well, you know. Then there was you and Sirius nearly killing him, and – "

"For which we have duly apologized," Sirius interjected. "To Lilikins, at least. Snivellus had it coming."

"And now she's in Hospital. Peter, did you ever find out what's wrong with her?"

"Well," Peter began, "I tried to ask Emme, but she was surrounded by the rest of them – you know – and when I asked they all looked at each other, got dead serious-like, and then Emme said it was none of my business and shooed me away."

"That's odd," Remus surmised. "We're her friends, too. What could possibly be so bad that they – oh."

A collective squirm was felt around the four boys as they realized exactly why Lily's ailment was kept so mysterious.

James jumped up after a quick silence. "No matter, gentlemen. We will soldier through! We have the supplies; they came in through Owl-order today, bless Mr Zonko's mad, mad heart. Our fair Lily's spirits will be lifted, she will thank us for it, and the name Marauder will be known and feared throughout the land as a force for good!"

Peter began to clap, until he realized that no one else was, so he stopped.

"James, please. This is really not wise. We'll – "

"Mr Moony, your concerns have been noted, and we thank you for them," James interjected. "However, tonight there is mischief afoot, and we should therefore really get to footing."

Remus knew it was all over once James began to use Marauder names. At that point, it was best for him simply to stand by and make sure his friends and brothers-at-arms didn't wind up killing themselves or blowing up the castle.

"Besides, it's just a simple display; a magical greeting card, if you will. What could possibly go - Padfoot! Careful with that, that's pure Erumpent Horn right there!"

Remus sighed. It was going to be a long night.

"Merlin's tit. Is that what I think it is?"

It was later that same night, and the lads had already been through a time of it. Filch and Mrs Norris were patrolling like they were behind on quota, two or three of the other patients in the Hospital wing were light sleepers who needed some encouragement to remain asleep, and Nurse Pomfrey, delightful as she was, was still making her rounds at half one. When they were finally able to set up their display, they found the curtains weren't quite concealing enough, so they had to be lengthened, and while Transfiguration was James's strong suit, it wasn't Sirius's, and James's arms were full, so everything wound up taking half an hour to set up, rather than the five minutes it was supposed to. And then they rush back to Gryffindor Tower, back to the fifth-year boys' dormitory, only to find –

"If you think it to be an unopened bag of peppermint leaves, then yes, Prongs, that's precisely what it is," Peter replied. He, James and Sirius turned to Remus.

"Yes?" Remus asked. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Peppermint leaves, old boy," Sirius replied. "For your Euphoria potion. They attenuate the effects so that – wait. Aren't you supposed to know this?"

Remus began to rub the bridge of his nose again, and then he raised his hand in acceptance of his mistake.

"That one's on me, gents," Remus said. "She's going to have a bit more euphoria than we thought, I guess. Can't really hurt her, though, can it?"

The other three Marauders looked at each other quizzically.

"Er, normally we'd be asking you that question, Remus," Peter piped up.

"For Godric's sake, I can't always be the answer-man around her, can I?"

"Actually, mate, you kind of are," Sirius replied. "That's your job, innit? I mean, Prongsie's the leader, I'm the pretty one, and you're the clever one. You have to know these things."

"What about me?" Peter asked, expectantly. This was followed by an awkward pause, during which Peter looked at the floor and scuffed his foot along the floor.

"Anyway," Remus blessedly broke the silence, "look fellows, I'm sorry. I made a mistake. But, really, how bad could it be?"

James, who'd been pacing in circles since the moment the offending potions ingredient had been discovered, interrupted.

"We have to go back. Abort the mischief."

"What?" Remus asked. "Is it really going to be that bad?"

"This has Marauder written all over it, Moony. If Lily winds up inhaling some of that Euphoria potion, she'll dance around the Hospital Wing for hours, tweaking noses and singing songs. Who knows what that could do to her? Then she'll blame us and never talk to us again. Plus, she'll get McGonagall involved, and then where will we be? No, we must go back, we must take it down. Abort the mischief, gentlemen."

And so it was that Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, at quarter to three on a Sunday morning, re-entered the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for what ought to have been a ten minute clean-up operation. They approached the privacy screen in front of Lily's bed, where they had placed canisters that, upon Lily's awakening, would blossom into flowering vines to cover the edges of the screen. There was also a red and gold banner with the words "Get Well Soon, Lily Evans!" printed on it in sparkling gold calligraphy. And there was to be music accompanying all this, with a record player charmed to play Lily's favorite song, Elton John's 'Your Song,' as the banner unfurled. To ensure Lily had a pleasant awakening, the flowers were dosed with a mild Euphoria potion. Or at least they would have been, had Moony not forgotten the peppermint in his concoction.

The plan was simple: Remus and Peter were to dismantle the vines from the screen, James and Sirius were to unhook the banner and shrink the record player and record, and they'd be in and out in five minutes, tops. Ten if the vine canister had attached itself to the screen. Which, unfortunately, it had.

"Padfoot!" Peter whispered. "Give me a hand over here, will you?"

Sirius walked over to Peter's side of the screen, and kneeled down to help.

"Padfoot, wait! Did you wash your hands? You still have – "

There was a small bang. The hearts of the four boys sank like stones.

"-Erumpent Horn powder on them. Oh, bollocks."

The vines began to grow, but as they were shot out of their canister with Erumpent Horn powder, they began to grow very quickly. Sirius grabbed onto a vine almost as soon as it shot up, but all that did was to cause four more to grow out of the spot where his Erumpent-laden hands touched the vine. Peter tried several cutting spells on the vines, but, as they were Zonko's Brand trick vines, they simply began to grow in two directions instead of one.

James was doing his best to wrestle the vines back into submission. He leapt at one that was nearing the wall (at which point, there would be no hope of containing it), and brought it down. But it snapped back at him, pushing him back into the screen, knocking the banner off of its pinnings, which unfurled it. At that point the music started, but instead of playing track 6 of side 1 of the record at volume 2, it played track 2 at volume 6, meaning instead of 'Your Song' at a volume only Lily could hear, the entire Hospital Wing was treated to 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting'. And, naturally, playing the music was the cue for the vines to flower, which released the super-strength Euphoria potion, so Lily and her fellow patients were treated not only to Elton John, but to a duet of Padfoot and Prongs.

Or at least they were, until Nurse Pomfrey shouted, among other things, "_Finite",_ thereby ending the vines' attack.


	2. Still Standing

_Title: Still Standing_

_Secret Ingredient: The Hospital Wing._

_Disclaimer. I don't own anything, nor did I come up with this quote: There are things that we don't want to happen, but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go. _

_I found that quote online somewhere and felt it was right for the story._

Even though the war was over the Castle was still broken to pieces. Harry came in from being outside with Ron and Hermione and found himself smothered by people coming up to him talking about who knows what, but Harry really couldn't listen to them anyways. He felt himself being congratulated one minute, hated the next by someone who lost someone, and loved on directly after that by Hermione. She and Ron hardly left his side.

The one person he wanted to talk to the most was Ginny, but she was no where to be found. He finally managed to break away from the people who wouldn't leave him alone and ran. He ran all the way to the third floor and found himself standing in The Hospital Wing.

To his surprise, he found it still standing. The one room that helped people heal, was wounded itself. Beds were broken by spells and scattered all over everywhere. Debris from who knows where filled the clean space in the room, but to Harry's surprise, the room was still standing strong, with three of the walls still in tact. The one wall that was broken the most was the wall with the windows.

It was the only room that didn't smell like death. The one room that didn't have dead bodies everywhere. It was the one room that normally was full of hurt people on a daily basis, but on a night after the war it was quiet. Too quiet. An eerie silence filled the room as his footsteps died down from walking in circles.

It was the one room that actually felt whole despite the broken wall to Harry's left. He breathed in, and sighed hearing her footsteps coming up from behind him. His heart dropped as he turned around. He had hoped Ginny found him, but was upset to see that it wasn't her.

"I'm surprised to see you here of all places . Tired of people coming up to you already?" Madam Pompfrey's voice surprised Harry as she approached him. He turned around to face the school nurse.

"Madam Pompfry." Harry acknowledged her before he continued speaking. "Do you know, I've spent most my life in this very room? Out of all the rooms in Hogwarts, I was here the most." Harry said as he picked up a piece of a broken bed.

"Mr. Potter, I seem to remember all my visits from you. Clearly, you didn't come to help clean the Hospital Room?" Madam Pompfry went over to Harry, picked up a piece of bed and tossed it down. She then wiped her hands on her torn robes.

"No, I didn't. I just came to say goodbye to this room." Harry looked around him as he turned in a full circle.

"You can take all the time you need. I won't tell anyone you're here," She said with an understanding tone in her voice automatically knowing Harry needed time alone. Madam Pompfry placed a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed it lightly before letting go.

"I felt like I've said goodbye to loads of people tonight. No, they weren't just people, most of them were my friends. I didn't mean for them to die for me." Harry blurted out before he could stoop himself. He had been holding that in ever since the war was over and was finally relieved in a way to get what was on his mind out of his mind. He didn't care who heard it, he just wanted it gone from memory.

Madam Pompfry nodded her head in understanding, but didn't speak a word.

"Fred shouldn't have died for me." Harry blurted after several long moments of silence.

"Well. Mr. Weasley didn't have to fight, but he wanted to. His whole family was in on the war and he wanted to be with them." Madam Pompfry took a few steps back and sighed.

"Dobby didn't have to die either." Harry folded his hands to keep them from trembling.

"I'm sorry who?" Madam Pompfry looked up from the floor and stared at Harry with a quizzical look.

"The house elf who worked at Hogwarts for payment. He was more than an elf. He was a friend. Do you know I met him for the second time in The Hospital Wing my second year?"

Madam Pompfry shook her head no. This story was new to her.

"Dobby was a house elf working for the Malfoys and came to warn me during the summer that terrible things were going to happen at Hogwarts that year. He begged me to stay away from Hogwarts. It was in the middle of the night my second year right after Lockheart took out all my bones in my arm when I saw him again in this very room. The Hospital Wing at night was when he came to visit." Harry didn't know what to think of that memory. He missed the annoying little elf who later in life became his friend.

"I didn't know he was your friend. I've heard of him from the other teachers, but never met him."

"I don't understand any of this. I don't understand why people had to die fighting for what they believe in." Harry picked up a piece of broken bed and threw it across the room out of anger. It smashed against the wall leaving a dent. When the school nurse didn't react, Harry threw another piece of debris, and another and another. He threw three more pieces against the same wall till he got worn out from throwing stuff across the room. He panted as he saw the mess he just made. His face fell as he turned to Madam Pompfry forgetting she was there.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make a mess." He said as he went to pick up the broken pieces. She walked over to him, took the piece of bedding out of his hands and threw it at the wall.

"Throwing things does help get anger out to a point. Then you feel the need to cry. Trust me. After my husband died, I did the same thing. Threw everything in sight, and then cried like a baby," she said softly.

"You were married?" Harry asked feeling very much like he wanted to cry.

"Once, when I was younger, before Hogwarts. He was a doctor. He died of an illness. That is why I wanted to go into medicine. To help people. I never speak of him anymore, but his memory is fresh in my mind. Like those who died in the war, there will come a time when you might not talk about them, but the memory of them lives on through you."

"I'm sorry." Harry said quietly.

"Don't be. There are things that we don't want to happen, but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go." Madam Pompfry said.

"I feel like crying." Harry admitted.

"It's okay to cry. No one will think less of you if you cry. Especially after tonight. I'll leave you alone she's waiting for you by the doorway." Madam Pompfry turned around to see Ginny Weasley standing in the threshold of The Hospital Wing.

"Ginny." Harry breathed her name as Madam Pompfry walked out of the room leaving the two of them alone. She walked silently over to him as he met her half way in the middle of the room. Her eyes were red from crying so hard. He gulped.

"Ginny, I-" he started to say. She gently placed a finger over his mouth forcing him to stop saying what he wanted to say. It was as if she knew he was about to apologize about Fred. Ginny pulled Harry close to her and held him in her arms.

There, Harry felt normal. He felt comfortable enough in Ginny's arms to cry like a baby as Madam Pompfry had put it. As soon as she pulled him tighter, the tears flowed freely. Harry let himself go. He let himself break away from being brave, and cry as long as he needed. She comforted him by rubbing his back as he cried.

He broke away from her. In front of Ginny, he didn't feel ashamed to cry knowing she knew exactly how he felt.

"I wish I could have protected him." Harry said softly as he rubbed his eyes with his sleeves.

"We all do. Harry, we can't change what has happened. We can only accept that they're gone and move on learning from our mistakes as we go." Ginny said wisely.

"Madame Pompfry said something similar," Harry didn't know what to say.

"We will get through this Harry. It just takes time." Ginny took him by his hand and held it tight.

"I know it does. I just hate getting through something like this."

"Again, we all do." Ginny smiled at Harry for the first time since the war was over.

"Let's go find your parents." Harry gripped her hand tight, and then let go. She started to walk out of The Hospital Wing.

"Wait." Harry said as she stopped in her tracks.

"What?" She asked.

Harry turned slowly in a full circle around the room. Saying good bye in his mind to the room that had always been there for him. The Hospital Wing was one special room to him. It was there, when Harry decided he'd come back after a week or two away to help rebuild Hogwarts. There, in the Hospital Wing he promised the room he would help rebuild it. For at several points in his life, the room rebuilt Harry. He wanted to return the favor.

"Okay, let's go." Harry said taking Ginny by the hand and walking out of The Hospital Wing.


End file.
